The move comes ahead of the much-anticipated second phase of
a military offensive against Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group that has
waged a brutal insurgency against Mogadishu’s central authority for more than
15 years.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the ministry of
communications and technology ordered internet service providers to enforce the
ban by August 24 or risk unspecified legal action.
It partly read, “In a bid to accelerate the war and
elimination of the terrorists who have shed the blood of the Somali people, the
minister of communication and technology instructs companies that provide
internet services to suspend TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBET betting applications,
which terrorists and groups responsible for spreading immorality use to spread
graphic clips and photos and mislead society.”
Since August of last year, the army has been launching an
attack against the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab in central Somalia, teaming
forces with local clan militias in an operation backed by African Union troops
and US air strikes.
Despite the government offensive, al-Shabaab fighters still
control large swaths of the countryside and continue to carry out deadly
attacks on civilian, political, and military targets.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has vowed to clear the
unstable Horn of Africa country of jihadists, and a second phase of the attack
against them in southern Somalia is scheduled to be announced soon. AFP